The Wolf and the Cherry Blossom
by cherryflowerblossoms
Summary: Series of oneshots with our favorite AU pairing. Kakasaku and all the angst, fluff, love, romance and good stuff we love. Enjoy! Rated T for now to be safe.
1. Secret

**Disclaimer: Fanifiction is fan-fiction...ie I don't own Naruto... sadly.**

Auhtor's Note: This is inspired by Maroon 5's song Sad. This is Kakashi's POV. This will read like a stream of consciousness. It is meant to be his thoughts as he watches her. So, at the top, he may think one thing, but as he works through it, he may end thinking a different way. It will make sense as you read. ^_^ Enjoy!

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**Secret**

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It had been eating at him more and more lately. The guilt was even worse now. The first time she had called them friends he had felt as though an anvil hit him full on in the chest.

Sakura was beautiful, full of life, and so very strong. She had blossomed into an amazing kunoichi. She was a medic on par with Tsunade, and fully expected to surpass even her master before she turns 25. She never ceased to amazing him. Her ability to forgive was truly her greatest gift. After the war, after everything, she had forgiven the last Uchiha, had been understanding when he took off again, had helped him adjust to village life once he finally returned. Yet, when Sasuke had tried to control her and their relationship; Sakura surprised them all by walking away. Her inner strength matched her outer super strength.

She had finally grown up. And, Kakashi couldn't figure out when it had happened, but there she was standing in the middle of training ground 3, wind in her pink hair, directing the movements of her very own Genin team.

_All grown up._

Yet, he knew exactly when it had happened. It happened after Sasuke left, and Naruto went traveling, and then Kakashi had disappeared into his typical self-loathing/self-blaming cycle of quiet angst. He had left her all alone to deal with her team breaking apart. And the guilt had never faded.

After she left Sasuke, Kakashi was pleasantly surprised that it was him she had reached out to. Why she felt him qualified when he had failed her so badly in the past he will never know, but he took this olive branch for what it was. It was his most important mission, and he treated it as such. He would not – could not fail her twice. So, he made certain he was there for her. He brushed away her tears when her venire cracked. He made her laugh when she was bogged down with work. He let her land hits during their regular training sessions when she needed to feel her fists connecting with something, so she wouldn't break down. Until she was finally really and truly ok again.

Even still, she sought him out. When she spotted him watching her curiously, she had smiled and said, "Friends are there through the good times and the bad." Her smile had broken through his shell that day.

_Friends._

The word felt so foreign to him. And yet, it warmed him in the oddest way. It was then that he felt the shift. He stopped feeling as though it was a mission to not fail her. Instead, he found that he _wanted_ to seek her out. He looked forward to their time together. Missed her when they were apart for any length of time. He would shown up at her work with her favorite tempura in time for her lunch. He grabbed her chocolate and handed her tissues as they watch one of those sappy love stories when her monthly hormones made her a mass of emotions. He had combed through every strand of her hair when she had caught lice from treating the kids at the Academy when Konoha had that bad outbreak.

Their time spent together over the past year had been some of the best days he had had. He had laughed more, smiled more, looked forward to the next day more than he had ever done.

When the next shift happened, he wasn't surprised. One day he simply noticed that he let his hand linger each time he handed her something, held on to her a little longer when they said their goodbyes. But, he didn't question it, because it felt right. Everything felt right. When her gaze would catch him watching her, as he often liked to do, his heart would skip as she gave him a secret smile he had only ever seen directed at him. It was his and no one else's. He didn't feel like he deserved it, but he accepted it fully – treasured it even. As he did with all things Sakura.

He smiled as he watched her team waving happily as she brought their session to a close, only to smile wider as she flashed him his secret smile. He watched her walking over, skin glistening from a sheen of sweat, hair fluttering about her cheeks with the gentle breeze. She was breathtaking.

As she sat beside him to watch the sunset over the trees, he wasn't even surprised when the next shift happened and she placed her hand over his. He didn't question it. Because as he laced his fingers with hers, it felt right. Everything felt right.

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**This is what happens when I listen to music and surf tumblr for Naruto fanart. Was gonna be more angsty, but the muse took over and here we are. Fluffy cuteness.**


	2. The Shift

**Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto or the characters, plots or settings therein. I just borrow them sometimes.**

_Author's Note: I wrote this in response to a Kakashi RP partner, OneofUnbendingWill, submitting the theme:Nonsexual acts of Intimacy Meme: sharing a bed. It turned into this. ENJOY!_

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**_The Shift_**

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It was something that had happened at least a thousand times before. Through all the missions of Team 7 -and later on as Team Kakashi- it was safer to stay all together. There was no one she trusted more when she was in such a vulnerable state. During those later years, with the wars and the emotional rollercoasters, she was proud to be able to really call Kakashi a friend. Their quips and banter always managed to make her laugh even on her worst days. As such, it had happened several times; mostly when they had collapsed after intense training sessions sprawled out diagonally with heads at opposite ends just talking – well, mostly she talked and he just listened. Even after the disbanding of Team Kakashi once Kakashi had become Hokage, they'd end up like that. Gradually, something shifted.

They'd be on their sides with heads propped up on an up-turned palm, both talking animatedly. Then they weren't laying oppositely, but face-to-face. Then their legs would rest nearer and nearer until they were tangled together giving teasing pokes or kicks.

When she found out that her parents had been caught up in a typhoon during their anniversary trip to the Land of Waves, Kakashi had pulled her across the small distance between them and held her tucked against his side as she cried through the night. He had come back that next night when she had called in for time off at the hospital (she had never called in or taken time off). When she had clutched his shirt that morning in a silent plea, he had arranged for Naruto to play substitute unless there was an emergency (Kakashi had never done such a thing, even when injured if he could help it.)

As Sakura healed, she found that the thought of him not being there to throw her arm and a leg over as she fell asleep or not having his nose burrowed into her hair when she woke was a thought she couldn't bare. Her heart broke when he had disappeared when she finally asked him not to leave –ever. She had curled up in her bed, cringing at how empty it felt.

When his voice cut through, steady and warm, as he asked where he was going to be able to put his books "because they and him were a package deal and she'd have to accept that", she had opened her arms with a smile. Once he had slid in bedside her and tucked her head back into its place under his chin, both realized that this time was different. Because though it had happened at least a thousand times before, this time it meant something different. This time it meant _home_.

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**And done!**

**I hope you liked this one! I thought it was too cute not to share! :3**


	3. Mistletoe pt 1

Prompt: Imagine your OTP+ arguing about the color of mistletoe berries. Bonus if they have no access to the Internet/other resources so there's no way to look it up.

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**Disclaimer: Do not own. If I did, kakasaku would be cannon.**

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~Mistletoe~

Part One

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"Red."

"White."

"Red."

"White!"

"Red, trust me. I'm older."

"Which makes it worse that you are wrong! Mistletoe is white," the pinkette huffed.

Mismatched eyes rolled as Kakashi chuckled at his irritated partner, "really Sakura, this argument is pointless. I think the post is beginning to get to us both."

At this, Sakura deflated blowing a puff of air to flutter her bangs out of her face, "yeah, you're right, Kaka-sensei. I swear it's like Tsunade is punishing us. Why we are needed to guard this crappy outpost to Sand on Christmas Eve is beyond me."

The silence following her statement became heavier.

"Kaka-sensei… is there a reason we were sent out here," the hidden threat not so hidden in her voice.

The silver haired man chuckled sheepishly, "I may have forgotten to turn in our report from our last mission together."

"Wh- But that was 4 months ago!"

He gave his eye-crinkle smile while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "Well, you see- there was this old woman-"

"Save it!" the sound of her grinding her teeth made Kakashi cringe, "I swear Kaka-sensei-"

"Kakashi."

"Y- huh?"

"Just Kakashi. We are equals now and have been for several years," his smile more genuine, "I think it's time to drop the honorific, hm?"

Sakura blinked as her cheeks flamed. Ducking her head away from his gaze, she nodded meekly, "y-yeah, I guess so… Kakashi."

"There," he looked back out across the sand, "much better. Now then, you were saying?"

"I- uh,"she frowned. To be honest, she forgot what she was mad about.

Kakashi sighed looking back to his partner, "does it bother that much?"

"Huh?" her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Calling me by my first name," mismatched eyes searched her face, "does it bother you?"

"Oh," she bit her lip looking down to her lap, "no. Not exactly."Really, she felt dumb for it, but he flat out asked and she was such a bad liar-

"Sakura?" he called her out of her thoughts.

"It's just- I have always liked being able to call you my sensei. It's silly, but I…" tucking a strand behind her ear, she fidgeted, "I always felt proud to have the right to call you my sensei. I mean, you are the famous Sharingan Kakashi, the Copy Nin, in the Bingo Books from age 12. When I was young, I always felt proud when people would talk about how I was Kakashi's kunoichi. It made me feel that if someone as great as you could believe in me enough to teach me, then surely I was worth something as a ninja."

Kakashi was speechless. Never had he expected anything like this in response to his question. He nearly startled as she spoke again, so deep in thought as he was.

"As I got older, it was that same pride, but also because of respect. You are a great ninja, the best team leader anyone could ever hope for, and a great man. Not to mention…," her green eyes flicked to his holding him captive, "I know that you are the reason that Tsunade originally considered me as a pupil." She ignored his slack-jawed response, "she let it slip one night when she was especially sloshed. I owe you a thanks." She lifted her hand to stop him as he was about to interject, "no, no. I do. I was lost back then. After Sasuke left and Naruto was out on the open road with Jiraiya, I felt like I had to do something- I just didn't know what. I know now that you made certain that I would be exposed to witnessing Medical ninja at work. You made sure that seed was planted in my head and then you went and spoke with Tsunade… Just, thank you. I'm sure it wasn't always easy dealing with a preteen girl whose life revolved around a boy and I just wanted you to know that I appreciate everything you did for us and for me."

The following silence felt heavy for both. Kakashi because he was taken aback by Sakura's words, and Sakura because she was recovering from unloading all she had wanted to say over the years. He had given her this chance to tell him all this after keeping it all to herself for so long, that now it had came bursting forth like a flood. She wasn't expecting a response. Glancing out over the sandy expanse before them, she decided that regardless of how he took it she felt like he needed to hear it. The man was way too hard on himself as it was. So, to say that she was startled when she felt his fingers tips brushing a lock of hair behind her ear would have been an understatement.

She was even more surprised to see him staring intently at her. The intensity of his mismatch gaze made a shiver shudder over her. "Kakashi?" she failed to notice that her voice had sounded oddly breathy. She gasped as his hand suddenly shot out grasping hers before giving a good tug. She blinked into the shoulder she was now nuzzled against, warm breath brushing across her neck sent another shiver and made her grip into his vest tighten slightly.

"Sakura," she wondered why her body seemed to suddenly respond to the slowly rumble of his voice, "thank you."

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**Oh the fluff!**

**This is just part 1... btw.**

**;)**


	4. Mistletoe pt 2

Imagine your OTP+ arguing about the color of mistletoe berries. Bonus if they have no access to the Internet/other resources so there's no way to look it up.

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**Disclaimer: still don't own. :(**

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~Mistletoe~ Part 2

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Kakashi had tried not to think too much about their little moment out on the field. Or the feelings swirling in the pit of his stomach ever since. He still didn't know why he had done it – tugged her to him and held her – but ever since then, he couldn't meet her gaze without his face flaming. Which was absurd, the Copy nin did _not _blush.

As much as he had tried to not think about it, he couldn't escape the way it had felt holding her in his arms like that. Which –again- was absurd, over the years he had held her many times when she was injured or scooped her up away from danger. Maybe it was that he hadn't had to do that in … well, years now that he thought of it. No, Sakura didn't need saving any longer. In fact, she had saved each of the members of Team Kakashi more times than he could count. For Kami's sake, she had given Sasuke and Naruto arms after they had gotten them destroyed in the last war. No, Sakura didn't need saving; Sakura did the saving.

Even so, this did not explain these feelings. …or maybe it did. She wasn't that young girl any more, hadn't been for years. She was a full blown kunoichi and a damned fine one at that, apprentice to the Sanin Tsunade and in plenty of bingo books herself.

Then there was what she had actually said. He still couldn't wrap his mind around that. To say he felt undeserving was an understatement. No one would argue that he had been a lacking teacher to Sakura as a young Genin – well, no one would argue except Sakura, apparently. It had made him feel… warm? Was that it? The way his chest both constricted and swelled at he took in the fire and strength behind her beryl eyes as she told him in no uncertain words exactly what she thought of him. It had felt… nice. He decided.

Even these feelings didn't explain away his reaction to holding her. In short, he had found it hard to let go, a concept impossible to understand for one who avoided getting close to anyone. Yet Sakura and Team 7 had always had a way of wriggling in past his defenses, hadn't they. Team 7- no, the fondness he had learned to reluctantly accept that he felt for the odd gang did not match up with how he felt for this new Sakura.

Then again, she wasn't really a _new_ Sakura, was she? Maybe it was just that he was finally seeing _her_. And not the Genin she used to be.

This Sakura was a strong, confident, powerful, skilled, brilliant, feared, loved, revered, loyal, giving, loving, beautiful woman.

Kakashi stopped in his tracks. _Beautiful?_ He looked over his shoulder to the visage of his inner musings waving to people of the village as she walked with him away from Hokage Tower. _Yes,_ he smirked, letting out a small chuckle, _she was beautiful. And very much a woman._

"Kakashi-san?" Sakura's voice snapped him back to reality and he smiled at her dropping of the honorific.

"Yes, Sakura?" his eyes locked onto the way she worried her bottom lip between her teeth.

"You were staring. Is there something on my face?" her cheeks as pink as her hair.

He blinked. Had he been staring? "Oh? Was I? I hadn't noticed."

She smirked teasingly, "yes, you had. You kept staring as though you were studying me. Was there something you needed to talk about?"

He swallowed before breaking her gaze. A smirked returned to his face as something still hanging in a nearby archway caught his eye, left up still from the Holiday they had missed while out on their mission. "Actually," he tugged her hand as he stepped to stand beneath it.

"Kakashi-san! What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

He just smiled as he snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. Upon meeting her startled gaze, he merely pointed up to the bundle of berries hanging over their head. A look of recognition flitted across her face before he tucked his finger under the edge of his mask and quickly pulled it down. He gave her no time to register his movements before he had tilted his head to envelop her lips with his own.

The feel of her satin lips melded with his own sent fire shoot from their connected lips to pool at the pit of his stomach. He nearly whimpered when he felt her hands burry into his unruly hair, her nails lightly scratching his scalp enough to make him have to shoot his arm out to brace them against the beam behind her. Sweet Kami, he had never had a kiss like this. Then again, he had only ever kissed one other woman without his mask, and that had been a very, very long time ago.

Slowly parting, both panting in desperate need for air, his eyes fluttered closed as her hands moved to cup his bare cheeks - only to have them fly open at the feel of his mask being put back into place.

He took in her soft smile and flushed face; she looked thoroughly kissed, with mussed hair and swollen lips, "Kakashi, you know that that is holly, not mistletoe."

A laugh rumbled his chest as he leaned his forehead against hers, trailing a hand down her arm to intertwine her hand with his, "yes, but I figured that I could play off of my early confusion of the two and use it for my advantage."

Her laughter burst forth causing him to chuckle as he pulled away from her giving her hand still interlocked with his own a gentle squeeze - only to freeze as he noticed his surroundings. It would seem that he had passionately made out with his fiery, pink haired team mate in the middle of the main street market in front of a large portion of the population, his friends, all of the Konoha Eleven, and each member of Team Kakashi.

Flashing his eye crinkled smile, he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head with his free hand, "Yo."

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**And there you go.**

**Merry Ho-ho and all that jazz.**

**Hope ya'll enjoyed it!**


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